Friday, September 9, 2016

Sully

Chesley "Sully"
Sullenberger became a household name on January 15, 2009
after he miraculously landed the US
Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson
River and saved all 155 people on board. He has been hailed
as a hero and beloved by the survivors as well as the entire
nation. Even though this incident has been well-known, it's
still a great story to tell one more time. This time, it's
told by the legendary 86-year-old director Clint Eastwood in
his latest uplifting film "Sully"
(USA 2016 | 96 min.). Even better, Sully is played by the
all-around nice guy Tom Hanks. While
the latest headlines have been filled with gloomy news such as wars,
terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and the presidential
election, this feel-good movie provides a much-appreciated
escape.

But that doesn't mean watching this movie is a smooth and
easy ride. After all, it's about an aviation accident
when an airplane is struck by geese and loses both
engines in the air. Despite the fact that we all already
know the outcome, Clint
Eastwood's skillful recount of those terrifying
moments is nothing short of a thrilling experience.

The film is set during the days right after Sully
successfully landed the airplane on the Hudson
River. Capitan Sullenberger (Tom
Hanks), a.k.a. Sully, and First Officer Jeff Skiles
(Aaron
Eckhart) are kept in a hotel in New York City while
the National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) conducts the mandatory
investigation about the incident. Although Sully calmly
took swift and wise actions after his plane was struck,
now he appears to be shaken and frequently has
nightmares. Yet, he continues to be the most good-natured
guy you can ever encounter and never loses his temper
even though the officials from NTSB seem to be
unreasonable or even hostile.

In flashbacks, the film vividly recreates each hair-raising
moment when the plane is in the air and in the water. The
actions taken by Sully and his crew illustrate the high-bar of
their professionalism and the profound heroism that is both
inspiring and moving. The great compassion and kindness from
New Yorkers is also on full display when they rush to the
rescue after the incident. The director Clint Eastwood
clearly salutes not only to the flight crew, but also to the
New Yorkers.

What can possibly go wrong when America's most liked actor
Tom Hanks
plays the kindest hero Sully in
a Clint
Eastwood film? Hardly anything, except that the
protagonist gets all the spotlight and leaves almost
nothing to the rest of the characters. Playing Sully's
wife Lorraine, Laura
Linney only gets to answer a few phone calls to express her
concerns and we know little about her character.

Featuring a nice-guy hero, with such a happy ending of a
great story, the film has all the best ingredients to
make a delicious product. The film is almost impossible
not to be embraced, especially when it gives you such a
positive vibe while so many negative stories flood the
media. Sully might get a lot votes if he were put
on November's presidential ballot because we all
dream of taking a ride with a competent and trustworthy
Capitan like Sully, be it an airplane or a nation.